Return of an Old Friend
by turbomagnus
Summary: One of Xavier's first students returns to the Institute, only to find everything has changed in his time away.
1. Return of an Old Friend

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution, the characters and settings thereof, or anything else except my own character of Tommy "Turbo" Magnus.

Note: Don't worry, I know the ages and characters present are out of whack, that's because this is an AU, so just sit back, relax, and leave the logic at the door. If you start to get confused, go read "What If Avalanche Joined The X-Men?", also by me, since this actually takes place after that story. I'm not sure how far I'll actually GO with this, so if you like it, PLEASE review.

-One dash- designates telepathy, --two dashes-- are a… well, that would possibly spoil future stories.

----

"Return of an Old Friend"

By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"

----

The figure looked up at the gates of the mansion.

"Like six months instead of six years…" He thought aloud to himself.

'I wonder if the others have changed as much as I have,' he added quietly.

---

In the garage of the Xavier Institute for the Gifted, the man known only as Logan sniffed the air without turning away from working on his bike.

"Unwashed shirt, cheap spray deodorant and… Apricot face scrub. Only one person has a smell that annoying. Make yourself useful, kid, and hand me a wrench," Logan said with the faintest trace of a smile.

"Should've just drove in, shouldn't I have, old man?" The younger male countered, passing the Canadian the tool.

"Yeah, you should have, but at least you got this far before I noticed, you haven't forgot anything," Logan said, standing and turning to face him, "What are you doing back?"

"Let's just say… Home isn't home right now…"

"Come on, we'd better let Chuck know you're back."

"AFTER I bring my car inside the gates, Logan… And he already knows, I'm sure. I think as loud as I talk, remember?"

-Yes, you do. Students, please report to the main living room.-

The newcomer narrowed his eyes, "I just remembered how annoying Captain Picard in there is with that… And I don't care if he picked up on that…"

---

"Oh, no, Turbo's back," Jean Grey said, smiling to show that she wasn't serious.

"Gee," the stranger said, dropping a duffel bag down by his feet, "I'm hurt, Marvel-Girl."

Jean glared back at him, "Not funny, Tommy."

Lance Alvers, also known as the Avalanche, blinked, "'Marvel-Girl', 'Tommy'? I take it you two know each other?"

Tommy smirked and snorted, "You could say that, I was a student here for four years with Jean and…" Tommy paused and looked around, "Hey, Grey, where's Scott at?"

The looks on the faces of his old friend, old teachers, and the new students he had yet to meet told him he wasn't gonna like what he was about to hear…

---

Later that day, Tom Magnus sat on the roof of the Institute, taking in all that he had heard: a second group of mutants, criminal mutants, and one of his old classmates had joined and was leading them; more X-Men; plans for even more students to attend the Institute; a new leader for the X-Men.

"Kuso," the dark-haired teen sighed out.

--I always preferred Spanish myself.--

"I know you do. That's why I swear in Japanese," Tommy replied aloud.

--I remember. You know, you really should actually learn to hold conversations in some of those languages you know bits and pieces of.--

"Blame French and German classes for turning me off on actually learning that skill."

--I know, I know, I've heard the stories.--

"There's another story I like better, if you recall. It's about this boy who was born different…"

--Last time I checked, that one was still being written, Tommy.--

"Maybe so, but I already know how it ends."

There was a silent pause for a few moments after that.

--Is this place always this confusing?--

"You should have seen it a few years ago; Ororo and Hank were in their last years of college, Logan was as grouchy as ever, and Me and Scott were at each other's throats most of the time with Jean trying to play mediator and failing…"

Tommy sighed again, "Man, I miss those days."

--We all have days we miss… Personally, I prefer how things are now. They could be better though.--

"They will be better," he promised in a quiet voice.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" Lance asked, pulling himself up onto the roof and gulping slightly at the height from the ground.

"That's my business," Tommy said coldly in a complete mood reversal.

Lance put up his hands defensively, "Hey, man, don't take it the wrong way, I was just asking, trying to get to know my newest teammate."

"Okay, for starters, my room is private, my mind more so," Tommy said, his voice still cold.

Lance looked at him for a moment, this guy could give Rogue a run for her money in the hostility department, it seemed.

"Uh, how about 'Turbo'? Where did that come from?"

In another complete reversal, Tommy laughed, "'Turbo' is a term for a burst of speed, right? That's what I do. I can speed up my body and mind, the only limits are what I think and physics… For example, I can run at super-speed, but I'm not able to increase my lung capacity or anything, so I only have the same amount of breath and energy as I would moving at a normal speed, so I tire quickly when I do, make sense?"

"So far, yeah," Lance lied.

"Luckily, smaller things, like working with my hands I can do for longer periods, and I can keep my mind speeded up almost constantly, the problem is organizing the information I can process in that state. As a bonus, because of the way that my mutation affects my metabolism, I heal fast and I've actually lost weight since my X-Gene became active despite needing to increase my food intake to compensate."

Lance groaned, "Did you swallow a dictionary or an encyclopedia or something?"

"I can think and act fast, and heal fast. The downside is that I need to eat more than most people to support it because my body uses up more carbohydrates, proteins, and such."

"Sounds a little like one of the Brotherhood, Pietro."

"Good, I need a challenge," the tone of Tommy's voice was somewhere between the lighter one he had used to describe his powers and the cold one that had given the warning.

"Believe me, with the Brotherhood you'll get all you can handle… I know he was a friend of yours, but even since Scott became their leader and that girl Wanda joined them… We've had a hard time with them."

Tommy scoffed.

"What?"

"Scott and I were NEVER 'friends'. He was always by-the-book, Xavier is always right, talk it out… Me? I ignored the book, I respect the Professor, but I also think that he's made a few mistakes, and I know… firsthand… that there are some people who all they'll listen to is force, so I made sure it's a language I speak fluently."

"Nice, sounds like something out of an action movie."

"If they make a movie about us, we've got problem," Tommy remarked.

"I'll say… They'd probably hook my character up with Jean or something," Lance replied.

"Better you than me, Elvis."

"Elvis?"

"Yeah," Tommy said, standing up, "the 'King of Rock'."

As the other teen made his way off the roof, Lance groaned and began to laugh. This was definitely no Scott Summers…

---

"So, Jean, like, who is he, anyway?" Kitty asked as the other members of the X-Men gathered in the living room while Tommy set up his room.

"Well, it's… a long story. Back when the Professor started the Institute, Ororo, Mr. Logan and one other were chosen as instructors and there were only three students; Me, Scott, and Tommy Magnus. By codenames we were Marvel-Girl, Cyclops and Turbo… It's not funny, Rogue."

"Oh, yeah, it is. Ah can't see ya as a 'Marvel-Girl,'" The Goth mutant replied.

Jean raised an eyebrow, "Why do you think none of you have ever heard me called that before?"

"You're agreeing with me? Somebody call the papers, the world's about to end," Rogue smirked.

"As I was saying… Turbo's power is that he can do things at super-speed for small periods of time. Unlike Scott and I, he only attended the Institute for about four years before he returned home…"

"I wonder what brought him back," Jean asked herself.

---

"Computer, load Danger Room scenario… Turbo X-One, level three… If it's still programmed."

"Working… You may enter the Danger Room when ready, Turbo," the Danger Room computer informed him in its automated voice.

Tommy walked out of the control room and into the Danger Room itself, "Run program."

Obstacles began to appear and Turbo launched into a high speed run, first dodging flame jets, then dropping and sliding under a crusher before reaching a giant fan. Accelerating his mind, he got the timing of the fan and made it through when the floor dropped out beneath him.

'Always changes,' he thought, shifting his weight and using it and his speed to ricochet off the walls of the drop like one of his old classmates.

"Hank would be proud," Turbo muttered as he landed back on the floor, "Wonder what the randomizer'll throw at me next… Oh, great… The rocket."

Much like the fan, the rocket was more of a mental test than a physical one, even thinking as fast as he could, it took Turbo several long minutes before he figured out its flight pattern, long minutes that seemed even longer with the speed he was working at. Suddenly, he dropped and spun, catching it as it flew by low and fast and pressing the deactivation button. Then, a beanbag came out him out of nowhere and caught him in the back of the head.

Dropping to the floor, Turbo rolled and faced the Control Room, "Computer, I said level THREE, not four!"

"I said four, Sugar-rush" Logan's voice answered, "Let's see just how much you really remember."

Turbo spent the next few minutes dodging and blocking various sized bean-bags at different speeds, taking a few blows when they came from a direction he wasn't paying attention to.

"Not bad," The older mutant said, "But not as good as you used to be - you'll be back in here for a couple hours tomorrow, you know."

"Yeah," Turbo groaned as he replied, "I know… Just remember, I heal fast, but not as fast as you do, Maple-Leaf."

Logan chuckled, he actually liked Turbo since even when he was young and at the Institute the first time, he had no problems with speaking his mind.

"Get some sleep, kid, you'll need it," Logan said before he left the room.

Turbo looked around, "Computer, one more bean-bag, largest size."

"Affirmative."

As the barrel-sized bean-bag came flying at him, Turbo drew back a fist and curled his ring finger in tighter…

"ERRRAGH!"

Impact force is defined as the weight of an object times the speed it's going, Turbo was putting over two-hundred pounds of force into a punch at super-speed…

Where he hit it, the bean-bag almost disintegrated, then was completely destroyed as he used both hands to tear the burlap apart.

Growling lowly, Turbo adjusted his glasses, turned and left the Danger Room.


	2. Another Brick In The Wall

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution, the characters and settings thereof, or anything else except my own character of Tommy "Turbo" Magnus.

Note: Don't worry, I know the ages and characters present are out of whack, that's because this is an AU, so just sit back, relax, and leave the logic at the door. If you start to get confused, go read "What If Avalanche Joined The X-Men?", also by me, since this actually takes place after that story. I'm not sure how far I'll actually GO with this, so if you like it, PLEASE review.

-One dash- designates telepathy, --two dashes-- are a… well, that would possibly spoil future stories.

----

Geokinetic Lance Alvers, the earth-shaking **Avalanche, **Katherine "Kitty" Pryde - the **Shadowcat**, telepath **Jean Grey**, Kurt Wagner - **Nightcrawler** - who proves that appearances are deceiving, Evan Daniels, the bone-throwing **Spyke**, the mysterious and dangerous **Rogue**, and Tommy Magnus - the fast thinking, fast acting **Turbo**. Brought together by Professor Charles Xavier at his Institute for the Gifted, they are the **X-Men Evolution**.

----

"Return of an Old Friend"

Part Two: Another Brick In The Wall

By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"

----

Tommy Magnus twisted with a growl and slammed his hand down on his digital alarm clock, he hated waking up before he was ready. With his other hand, he searched the table beside his bed for his glasses; while his mutant ability granted him some mental acuity at times, he lacked certain visual acuity and needed them to see well. For the past few days, Tommy, had been settling back into the Xavier Institute for the Gifted. Settling back in because there had been a time years before when he had attended the school before leaving, and now he had returned with no explanation, to the curiosity of those who had known him before.

"Several months and it's still intact," he muttered, "A new alarm clock survival record…"

-Tommy, if you would please come to my study?- Professor Xavier's voice echoed in his head.

'On my way,' he thought back, then added to himself, "Why can't he just use an intercom system like everyone else?"

---

A few minutes later, Tommy stood in Xavier's study wearing fatigue pants and boots, a green t-shirt and a pair of fingerless gloves not unlike Lance's.

"What?"

"Logan is extremely busy this afternoon and we'd like you to go pick up some of the other students since Lance's jeep cannot fit all of them. Since your transfer paperwork is almost complete, this will also give you the opportunity to learn the way from here to the high school."

"But, Professor!" Tommy sighed, knowing it was no use arguing with Xavier… The resemblance to Zordon from Power Rangers didn't stop at the bald head, after all, "All right, I'll do it…"

Moments later, as he passed Logan in the hall, Tommy whispered, "You'll pay for this."

"I'll have the two pints of blood and pound of flesh ready, Sugar-rush."

Without even looking back, Tommy retorted, "Three pints and two pounds, Maple-Leaf, prices have gone up."

---

Tommy's 2003 Toyota managed to make it across town from the Institute to the high school with time to spare, leaving the driver to lean back and start reading a book while he waited on his fellow Institute students. After a time, he was pulled from the world of 1880's London by a commotion outside the Toyota, looking up, he saw Scott and four others that he could only figure to be the 'Brotherhood' standing to block the Institute students from the parking lot. Tommy was also Turbo, by name, by attitude and by mutation, so it didn't take him long to figure out what to do.

It took him less time, at 'Turbo-Speed', to be out of the car and standing among the X-Men with his back to the Brotherhood…

After knocking off Scott's glasses.

"What the?" The Brotherhood leader exclaimed, closing his eyes tightly to prevent his optic beams from firing.

Tommy smirked, "Uncontrollable red beams from your eyes? …There's a Visine for that."

Adjusting the leather jacket he was wearing as he turned around, Tommy's smirk grew, "Long time, no… well, actually you can't see me now, Scooter."

"Magnus! What are you doing here?"

Tommy scoffed, "If your brain wasn't still in the original box you might be able to figure it out. I'll explain it to you, Summers, and I'll use short words: I'm. Back. At. Xavier's."

In his usual high-speed, Pietro ran up and poked Tommy in the chest, "I don't know who you are, but no one makes fools out of the Brotherhood and gets away with it."

"Other than yourselves, you mean?" Tommy said simply

"Right," Pietro answered, "No one other than our-Hey!"

Evan was barely keeping his laughter under control, he had seen how crazy Tommy could act over the last couple days, but this was too much, "Mouth, fast. Feet, fast. Brain? Not even."

"You're gonna pay for that!" Pietro snapped, swinging a fist at super-speed towards Tommy, "Wha-!"

"Little tip," Tommy said, bending Pietro's arm back toward him by the grip on his wrist, "They don't call me 'Turbo' for no reason: I move fast. Unlike you, I also think fast."

With a push towards the Brotherhood, Tommy released his grip on Pietro, causing the silver-haired teen to stumble backwards. Luckily for Scott, while Pietro had been facing off against Tommy, Wanda had found his glasses and returned them to her boyfriend, because they had been laying right where Pietro landed.

"I see the Professor's given up on teaching about fighting fair," Scott said, "Since there's five of us and seven of you."

"Move out of the way and it won't be a problem, Summers," Lance warned.

"We all know you'd never use your powers in public," Wanda retorted, "It might upset old Baldy."

Tommy slipped a hand in his pocket, "You know, you're right."

'Jean, tell the others to be ready to move.'

-Why? Tommy, what are you about to do?-

'Watch and see.'

At the sudden blast of a horn, the members of the Brotherhood turned to look, giving the Institute students a chance to rush past them, or in Kurt's case, teleport past them. Lance jumped into his jeep, followed by Kitty, Rogue and Evan, while Tommy, Jean and Kurt got into Tommy's car. Before the Brotherhood could recover from the sudden shock, the two vehicles were out of the parking lot and gone.

"Man, zat vas so cool!"

Tommy laughed, "I knew it was a good idea to have that remote installed! Pricey, but good!"

"You always have to be a show-off," Jean laughed.

"Hey, you're average on the scale, Scooter was uptight, one of us had to be the crazy one," Tommy retorted…

It was good to be home.

---

After they were home, Turbo, Nightcrawler and Spyke were told to report to the Danger Room.

"The objective of this session is simple," Logan said smirking, something that had the three members of the X-Men nervous since the man also known as Wolverine only smirked like that when he was about to make someone miserable, "All you have to do is get to the other end of the course and ring the bell without using your powers."

"Go!"

The three mutants took off, Turbo on two feet, Nightcrawler on all four and Spyke on four wheels.

"Oh, and watch out for surprises."

Spyke nearly fell off his board, "What did he mean by that?"

Just before Spyke reached it, part of the floor exploded, causing the skater to almost fall again before he recovered.

"Does that answer your question, Bones?" Turbo asked, annoyed.

"I don't do explosions, I'm a city boy!"

"Just think of them as really powerful firecrackers someone's throwing at you!" Turbo responded, trying not to groan at Spyke's stupidity.

"Race you to der next obstacle," Nightcrawler challenged, bounding ahead, dodging the explosions with acrobatic ease.

"You're on," Turbo accepted, running as fast as he could without using his powers.

"Hey, guys, wait up!" Spyke shouted kicking off after them, treating the course like a half-pipe.

As they reached the rope before a pit, flames shot out of the pit, blocking their way. Kurt didn't break stride as he leapt to the top of the frame holding the rope and flipped across the fire, Turbo followed suit in a much simpler manner, leaping through the fire and rolling to extinguish any flames on his uniform. Spyke wasn't about to do something that crazy, so he looked around for a different way.

"Alright, now that's calling my name!" He said, skating into a pipe.

While he was doing that, Nightcrawler and Turbo had made their way past the next obstacle, a series of electrified wires over water; Turbo by swimming under them, Nightcrawler by leaping over them.

"Show off," Turbo muttered.

"Do you have any idea vat I smell like wet?" Nightcrawler countered, laughing until a low-powered laser blast caught him from behind, "Vat the?"

"Oh, great," Turbo groaned, "Another Danger Room session brought to us by 'Let's add lasers to everything' Logan…"

"Ja, he does enjoy doing zat…" Nightcrawler agreed, staring at the laser turrets between them and the bell.

"I'd almost suggest locking him in here for revenge, but he'd probably enjoy it…"

"Ja… OUCH!"

"AH!"

"Get moving!" Logan said as the lasers fired again.

"If you insist, Canucklehead," Turbo said, reaching into a pocket and then throwing a pair of Japanese throwing stars at the laser turrets, jamming the lasers and blowing them up.

"Vhere did you learn to do zat?"

"Picked it up by watching TV, where else?" Turbo answered.

"I should have known," Nightcrawler said, bounding off.

Even without his powers, Turbo seemed to watch in slow motion as Nightcrawler reached the bell at the same time as Spyke shot out of a pipe and hit it, knocking it into Nightcrawler causing the blue teleporter to lose consciousness. After that, it took several minutes for Tommy, Logan and Evan to wake Kurt up.

"You okay?"

"Oh, mein head," Kurt groaned, "Vat happened?"

"Bones got you a good one with the bell," Tommy explained, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at Evan.

"Man, zat vas der weirdest dream..."

"Va-I mean, what?"

"Tommy, you, Lance and Evan were the Three Musketeers, protecting Queen Jean from the plans of Cardinal Pietro, while I tried to join the Musketeers. Scott ran around trying to catch us before we could save the Queen after we stopped Evan's ex-wife Rogue from going to England. Jean's king was someone I've never seen before, there was this fraulein from one of my classes that kept hitting on me, and strangest of all was the Toad kept popping up all the time talking about his schwester's honor..."

Tommy chuckled, "You do realize that we're never gonna let you live this down, right?"

"Ja, unfortunately, I do…"

---

Tommy shook his head, 'When was the last time you ever saw a couple that in love?'

--Saw? My parents. Felt? All the time.--

'Yeah, I know…' He replied before speaking up, "You do realize there's other people in the room, right?"

Lance, with Kitty sitting on his lap, looked over at Tommy, "You can leave, you know."

"And have Logan after me for leaving you two alone? Forget it, I'm not exactly in the mood for another Danger Room session."

"For someone who's here alone," Kitty remarked, "You sure look happy."

"That," Tommy said, "Is my secret."

--OUR secret.--

'Our secret,' he agreed.

"Maybe he and Jean are closer than they let on," Lance teased, causing Tommy to just smirk in response.

"Or Rogue finally can touch and you two had fun with it?" The smirk became a full-blown smug look.

"Lance, you've got rocks in your head," Tommy retorted, stretching his arms before putting his hands behind his head and chuckled, ignoring any further comments from the earth-mover who was being driven nuts by it.

--This is almost too enjoyable.--

'If only it wasn't so easy to mess with Lance's mind.'

--He has a mind?--

'Actually, I think it's a piece of Kitty's.'

Tommy smiled as he heard the laughter in his mind before joining in himself.

"What's he laughing about?" Kitty wondered.

"Who knows?" Lance shrugged.

The teen on the other side of the room laughed even harder, "If you have to ask, you'll probably never know."

Outside the door, Rogue looked on in confusion, "What IS going on in here?"

"Lance is petting his Kitty and they're both wondering why I'm in such a good mood, Milady DeWinter," Tommy answered, taking a drink of diet cola.

"Ah'm gonna hurt Kurt…" Rogue groaned.

"Not yet, Aramis over there," Tommy pointed at Lance, smug look firmly in place, "and I still have to school him in 'the manly art of wenching'. As soon as he's finished giving Kitty her 'Theology lesson', anyway."

At the confused looks of the others, Tommy shook his head and looked upward, "'God, I'm amongst the heathen.'"

--You really aren't going to let Kurt live that down, are you?--

'What? And pass up all the opportunities it presents?'

As the students exchanged smart remarks and retorts in the main living room, in Professor Xavier's study, a much more serious conversation was taking place…

"I'm worried, Logan."

"The kid's good, Chuck, I'll give him that, but he's not a pre-cog."

"I know, but at the same time he is also often right… What he said about his return…"

"Don't tell me you believe that whole 'the time of fire for mutants is coming' line he said."

Xavier wheeled around to look out the window at the night sky full of stars, "That's what bothers me, Logan, I do believe him. At times, Tommy is capable of noticing things that elude the rest of us due to his power, and…"

"What?"

"I have also felt something, a growing darkness. Something… blocks my telepathic powers from knowing exactly what it is, but there is something out there… I want you to begin looking through Cerebro's files, identifying possible new recruits, Logan, we should be prepared… For whatever comes."


	3. Leader of the Whack

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution, the characters and settings thereof, or anything else except my own character of Tommy "Turbo" Magnus.

Author's Note: This is just something that I realized I didn't cover in the last chapter…

----

"Return of an Old Friend"

Part three: Leader of the Whack

By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"

----

Kurt entered the library of the Institute and looked around before finding his target sitting in one of the chairs, head bent down and engrossed in a thick book. His approach was about as silent as an angry Wolverine, yet the entire time, his target never acknowledged his presence.

"Uh, Tommy? You have ein minute?"

Without even looking up from his book, Tommy replied, "Cannot _have _time, time is intangible, unpossessable. Time can have you, time _always_ have you, but cannot have time."

"Vat?" Kurt blinked.

"What do you need?" came the much simpler reply.

"I vas wondering…"

"Don't wonder too far, you might get lost," Tommy muttered.

"Right… I vas wondering, what vas mit der uniform you wore in der Danger Room? I mean, don't take this the wrong vay, but you don't strike me as the kind to wear yellow, Tommy," Kurt commented.

A few minutes passed, then Tommy laid his book off to the side and stood up.

"Wait here, just a moment," he said before running off at Turbo-Speed.

"And they complain about my teleporting?" Kurt grumbled.

"My running off is just annoying," Tommy countered, skidding back into the room, "But that brimstone smell of your's costs us a fortune in air freshener, Deutschland."

"You're not funny, Tommy," Kurt came back, "Unless ve are talking about looks."

"If we're talking about looks, Jim Henson Studios called for you, something about needing a stand-in for Cookie Monster," Tommy quipped.

Kurt opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, "You win, this time… Vas ist los?"

He pointed at the picture Tommy was holding, he recognized the Professor in the middle of the group, Logan in his Wolverine uniform on one end and Ororo in a solid white uniform on the other, but three of the other four figures in matching blue and yellow uniforms like the one Tommy had worn in the Danger Room he didn't place.

"Well, from left to right, that's Ororo, me, Marvel Girl - you know, Jean? - Professor X., Cyclops, the large guy there is Hank, codename Beast, and on the end there is Logan," Tommy explained, "When I was here the first time, the blue and yellow outfits were the X-Men uniform."

"Man, those are so lame," Kurt said.

"I know… Snot, oh, excuse me, SCOTT was the only one who didn't complain about them… he always was a suck-up."

"So, if you don't like it, then why are you wearing it?"

Tommy shrugged, "I just haven't had a chance to put together a new one is all."

"Hurry up, man, you're seriously making us look bad!"

"Keep it up, Kurt, and I'm gonna dye you brown in your sleep and you'll wake up in a chimpanzee cage…"


	4. For Cryin' Out Loud

Disclaimer: I received a phone call from Stan Lee telling me that I was now the owner of Captain America, X-Men and all other Marvel property. I was just about to go to the main office to take my place as leader of the company and slap the spit out of the idiots behind some of the recent events of the past few years (Beast GAY! Scott and EMMA? I may not be a big Jean fan, but still... An ARMORED Spidey? What the hell? Isn't it enough that some time back Cap had an armored suit?)... Then I woke up and unfortunately realized that I did NOT own Marvel's characters, I probably would NEVER own Marvel and it's characters, and that my plans for firing the current staff and bringing in some of my favorite fanfiction authors as the new staff wouldn't happen either...

----

"Return of an Old Friend"

Part four: For Cryin' Out Loud

By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"

----

'This is unacceptable,' Magneto thought, 'Xavier has another student and my Brotherhood of Mutants has failed to recruit any more...'

"Pyro, you LUNATIC!"

As shouts were thrown back and forth, Magneto groaned, "And my 'elite' Acolytes include someone who is as bad as any of the Brotherhood…"

It was then that the Master of Magnetism had an idea…

"Pyro, come with me."

"Sure thing, Boss, uh, Lord Magneto," the Australian mutant said, walking away from the pile of burning chairs that had started his fellow Acolytes' anger after causing the flames to grow higher one last time.

'Maybe I should send him to Charles,' Magneto thought, then laughed silently to himself, 'No, not even my misguided former friend deserves Pyro.'

---

"Lord Magneto…"

"Cyclops," Magneto acknowledged.

"To what do we owe the honor?"

"With the recent addition to Charles' forces, I have… seen fit to assign one of my other followers to you," Magneto said, magnanimously.

Cyclops looked past his leader to where Pyro was starting a yard fire.

"He was starting to drive you crazy, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Magneto admitted, "That as well…"

---

"So," Todd asked, looking at the new guy, "What do you do… Pyro? Something to do with fire, I'd guess?"

"Yep, that's me. I can control flames, I like to burn stuff… It's a way of life. I also write, but that's more of a hobby. A very profitable hobby, but I live to burn stuff."

Todd groaned, "Great, another Pietro, except this one likes fire."

"I wouldn't say I like fire."

Todd raised an eyebrow, "You don't like fire?"

"Nope, mate, I love fire!"

Freddy had remained silent, now he grumbled, "We're doomed…"


End file.
